[ if any of alina’s accusations about her are true, it’s this: when she awoke to news of the dead, she thought first of rhaenyra (gone), then aemond (endangered, his loss potentially accelerated to that very morning), then alina (attacked). a moment that decided her priorities for each day that followed. the loss of others was not as important as those three — particularly the ones she may yet protect.
she certainly did not look closely at parisa’s death, when she hardly knew the girl, and had no lead to pursue, beyond the obvious (too obvious, she’d hoped, much like when they said jace willingly drowned, and tim named alia a suspect). ]
( she braces, of course, for the brunt of alicent's anger — the dismissal she had given the first, when alina had given her the ill omen. had tried to point her compass, subtlely, in another direction. )
I wasn't lying to you when I told you he gave me the name of another vampire too easily. You didn't seem to know her. That only makes him look more suspicious. The way Aemond spoke of the vampires, I assumed you were allies. Why hide her from you, but expose her to me?
He is a dear friend, for the grief we share. As you have been, for our wretched lot.
[ an ally, too, who offers her house greater numbers than alia and the atreides, but she thinks of him in fonder terms. daniel’s love. a man who carried her out of the danger his own kind would perpetrate. ]
I assumed the manor attempted to frame the vampires as they did my son and House — a distraction, like attacking a minor castle to divide one’s forces.
You do not think he simply named her to save Lestat? They were once lovers and shared a child, gone from this world.
If it wanted to divide the house, why wouldn't it have chosen Louis? Everyone will come in defense of him.
Even now, Hawk demeans me and makes a joke of the attempt on my life. I don't care if they're friends. I don't know if they are. But Matt won't speak. Dani refuses. No one is coming to side with me. And if I'm killed for it, they still won't care.
At least I'll have spoken. And you'll have Jace returned.
( pitying, perhaps — but true, all the same. )
I think he did both. Spared Lestat, and defended himself and his own. It's just too obvious. It's just too convenient to claim they were framed. I can't ignore what's in front of my eyes.
Your argument is a sound foundation. I hope you are wrong, but I cannot be certain of the truth. Regardless, I have cast judgement on Hawkins Fuller’s manipulations.
And I will think on this, though I know it is no comfort to you now.
[ did she say the same thing earlier? yea. was it different when she did it? also yes. ]
I will not forget your honour in naming one who endangers you and yours further. It is no small thing to brave.
[ thinking about paul “we will watch you burn” atreides. ]
Both our houses have been targeted this day. I hope we live to see the morrow — and find your attacker, when none has emerged as a suspect in true.
It's too late for cold comforts. They do little to keep a corpse warm.
( alicent's protection feels no more soothing than threadbare blankets, now — a promise of warmth that never comes. all the more cruel, for how it teases comfort. how long will you think on it, alina thinks but does not say, before you decide, once again, you have better things to think on?
she rasps out a rattling sigh, in the quiet of her room. )
It takes a proper queen to put a man in their place, I suppose. Thank you. For coming to my defense when no one else would. It's more respect than the people I was foolish enough to consider friends have shown me.
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@hightower
she certainly did not look closely at parisa’s death, when she hardly knew the girl, and had no lead to pursue, beyond the obvious (too obvious, she’d hoped, much like when they said jace willingly drowned, and tim named alia a suspect). ]
You believe Louis killed Parisa.
no subject
( she braces, of course, for the brunt of alicent's anger — the dismissal she had given the first, when alina had given her the ill omen. had tried to point her compass, subtlely, in another direction. )
I wasn't lying to you when I told you he gave me the name of another vampire too easily.
You didn't seem to know her. That only makes him look more suspicious.
The way Aemond spoke of the vampires, I assumed you were allies. Why hide her from you, but expose her to me?
no subject
[ an ally, too, who offers her house greater numbers than alia and the atreides, but she thinks of him in fonder terms. daniel’s love. a man who carried her out of the danger his own kind would perpetrate. ]
I assumed the manor attempted to frame the vampires as they did my son and House — a distraction, like attacking a minor castle to divide one’s forces.
You do not think he simply named her to save Lestat? They were once lovers and shared a child, gone from this world.
no subject
Even now, Hawk demeans me and makes a joke of the attempt on my life.
I don't care if they're friends. I don't know if they are. But Matt won't speak. Dani refuses.
No one is coming to side with me. And if I'm killed for it, they still won't care.
At least I'll have spoken. And you'll have Jace returned.
( pitying, perhaps — but true, all the same. )
I think he did both. Spared Lestat, and defended himself and his own.
It's just too obvious. It's just too convenient to claim they were framed. I can't ignore what's in front of my eyes.
no subject
And I will think on this, though I know it is no comfort to you now.
[ did she say the same thing earlier? yea. was it different when she did it? also yes. ]
I will not forget your honour in naming one who endangers you and yours further. It is no small thing to brave.
[ thinking about paul “we will watch you burn” atreides. ]
Both our houses have been targeted this day. I hope we live to see the morrow — and find your attacker, when none has emerged as a suspect in true.
no subject
( alicent's protection feels no more soothing than threadbare blankets, now — a promise of warmth that never comes. all the more cruel, for how it teases comfort. how long will you think on it, alina thinks but does not say, before you decide, once again, you have better things to think on?
she rasps out a rattling sigh, in the quiet of her room. )
It takes a proper queen to put a man in their place, I suppose.
Thank you. For coming to my defense when no one else would.
It's more respect than the people I was foolish enough to consider friends have shown me.
no subject
Let us hold to that.
[ until the next round, little wife. ]